1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to methods and systems in wireless user terminals, such as mobile smart phones, for detecting wireless networks and assisting users with the selection of wireless networks, such as WiFi hotspots. Specifically, this includes monitoring a user's activities and the available wireless network resources over time to identify those wireless network resources that can provide beneficial service to the user on a recurring basis and a random basis.
Using real-time information about available wireless networks and historical information including where users regularly and frequency spend time, as well as patterns of wireless network usage and availability, a list of one or more alternative wireless networks that can be used as an alternative to the cellular network can be developed. The list can be used to identify those networks which can provide some benefit to the user in their daily life as well enable the user's wireless carrier (or wireless network operator) to offload voice and data traffic to an alternative network.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cellular networks generally consist of two main parts: the radio access subsystem and the core network. The rapid increase of data usage and resulting network congestion give rise to the need for integration of multiple radio access (wireless) technologies other than the traditional cellular radios (most notably—WLAN or WiFi). The industry is taking various steps to facilitate this by incorporating WLAN and other access techniques in mobile terminals and building internetworking solutions to allow session persistence while connecting an ongoing “call” between various access technologies etc.
WLAN (e.g., WiFi) has recently become the alternate network of choice for data offloading. However, due to some fundamental differences between traditional cellular technology and WLAN, incorporating WLAN into the mix of “legitimate” access technologies serving the mobile networks has few unique challenges. WLAN transmission power is severely limited in comparison to its cellular counterpart; consequently WLAN radio coverage is rather limited and normally would not go beyond few tens of meters. To provide acceptable WLAN coverage one must deploy much larger amount of WLAN access points then done in cellular deployment. Higher deployment density (larger number of deployment sites) results with higher maintenance cost thereby defeating the purpose of lowering service cost. Unlike cellular technology that operates in a “private” (licensed) spectrum, WLAN needs to function within hostile conditions of unlicensed spectrum; radio interference is uncontrolled in these spectrum bands. Consequently operators find it very difficult to assure an acceptable quality of service (QoS) putting in question the use of WLAN altogether.
The common WLAN solution offered to operators is basically replicating cellular operator's deployment. Companies are deploying WLAN access points at specific locations where they expected increase data traffic (hotels, airports, large stores etc.). This solution could be adequate when user terminals were mostly laptops that are not very mobile. The deployed networks are managed using traditional network/cellular management techniques. As mentioned above, providing highly ubiquitous WLAN coverage using this approach is not practical due to maintenance cost considerations.
As time progresses, much higher mobility devices are becoming common; smart-phones such as iPhone and Android devices are rapidly becoming main data traffic contributors hence the selected locations model is quickly becoming obsolete. The need for ubiquitous WLAN coverage is growing further challenging the operator's style deployment.
The industry, through its standardization process, has been defining a new core network function to support heterogeneous wireless access environment: the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF). The ANDSF is aimed to guide mobile terminals in finding alternate access networks and select the most suitable network for best service. Currently, the ANDSF is designed to support locating “carrier WLAN” and selecting the access network based on administrative policies. For example—connect to WLAN if there is a roaming agreement with the WLAN owner. No mechanism has been defined to dynamically improve the effectiveness of these policies by testing their impact on service quality or performance. This shortcoming is especially critical when dealing with WLAN where operation environment is less predictable due to the issues mentioned above.
While the availability of an alternative wireless network can be determined, in many instances, access to the wireless network is controlled through the use of encryption, access password and captive portals. This means that user must ask for permission to access and use the network.